Konoha-hime
by DianaMoth
Summary: A Kami sacrifices herself for Konoha and chooses to resurrect as a human. The Nara clan had always taken care of Konoha-hime, they won't stop after she saved them all.
1. Chapter 1

It's a popular legend.

A long time ago, during the Warring States Period, the Nara clan was attacked in a sudden assault. As the adults fought their enemies, children fled into the forest, where they had been taught to hide and survive. However, their attackers were numerous, well-informed and merciless. They were waiting for the children under the trees, and one by one proceeded to kill them.

As the blood of innocents seeped into the earth, the trees stirred and came to life. Roots came up to trip the murderers, and branches struck them. As the attackers fought against the forest, the children disappeared, led deep into the woods, their tracks covered, their injuries bandaged by antiseptic leaves and herbal roots. The trees formed an impenetrable barrier to protect them.

When the victorious Nara came to find their children, curtains of leaves parted harmlessly before them to reveal the innocents, safe and sound.

It's the first known manifestation of Konoha no Kami, protector of children and families, Spirit of the Forest.

This territory became well-known as a safe place for the innocents. To fight in its midst became a sacrilege for all the clans whose children were saved by reaching this haven.

Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara conducted most of their negotiations on those sacred grounds.

Konohagakure was named in the Kami's honor. When the village was founded near the forest, Hashirama respectfully came to meditate in the woods for one day and one night, praying to Konoha no Kami for her blessing. His talent for Mokuton allowed him to speak to the Kami and explain his dream for the village. The Kami approved and agreed to treat Konohagakure no Sato like her home, its inhabitants like her children.

In return for her protection, the village promised to care and respect the sacred grounds. The Nara clan naturally became the guardians of the forest. The deers they raised were blessed by the Kami and became smart enough to protect the land.

That's why Konoha, more than any other hidden village, is blessed and powerful. For there is a Kami looking after us.

Konoha-hime.

Call her name under the leaves. Pray for help at her shrines. Bow your head at the deers staring at you.

Konoha-hime is watching over you.

o

Shikaku was starting to wonder if his father was trying to kill him. Usually, when they trained together, it wasn't in the middle of the forest, which was strange in itself, and it wasn't either to a level where Shikaku worried about his ability to sit up the next morning.

Shikakai's next attack sent his ten-years-old son to the ground. The genin rolled until he hit a tree and rested here, too dazed to stand up. Yet, his father marched toward him, threatening, and although he had never had any reason to fear him before, Shikaku could feel his killing intent and knew he was serious. What the hell was going on?

Shikaku valiantly tried to straighten, but his arm gave way under him and he fell back. "Dad, what—"

A bellow sounded out, startling the youngest Nara, but the clan leader stood back and loosened his stance. This was the signal he was waiting for to stop.

"Sorry, son," Shikakai said before offering him a hand to stand up. "She had to see your worth."

Shikaku accepted it in a daze. His limbs were shaking. He glanced at the deer who had stepped into the clearing. It was the most majestic one he had ever seen, and he had seen his fair share since caring for the deers was a weekly chore for every young Nara.

The animal was taller than Shikakai, even if you discounted its antlers which were magnificent and decorated with leaves and flowers. Its fur was light chestnut with white spots, like a fallow deer.

When it came closer, it towered over Shikaku, who was staring intently. As the magnificent head slowly lowered itself to his eye-level, Shikaku shook himself and took a step back to bow to the waist.

"Greetings Konoha-hime. It's an honor to meet you. Please take care of me."

He felt the soft snout against his cheek, the animal's breath brushing his ear. "You'll see and live through many hard times, Shikaku-kun. I have advice for you if you'd take it." Its voice was deep and slow.

"I would be honored."

The snout nudged him until Shikaku straightened so they could be eye to eye.

"Come to me when your heart is heavy, your soul is confused or your body is drained. Bring to me those you trust wholeheartedly or those who need to disappear," she said solemnly before raising her head. "Also, don't smoke those nasty things, I hate the smell. What are they called again, Shikakai?"

"Cigarettes, Konoha-hime. I told ojii-san you were the one who got the squirrels to bury his packs. He promised to stop."

"Good." The deer tapped the ground in satisfaction. "That's it then. Here." She leaned forward and touched Shikaku's forehead. Immediately, his muscles loosened and his exhaustion disappear. "You'll do great. Don't become Hokage though, or you won't have enough time for me. That wouldn't do. I want to see you at least once a month. Don't worry, you can just nap with me. That fighting business is a one-time thing, it's too tiring otherwise."

The stories never said that Konoha-hime was cool, Shikaku thought.

o

The fire started soon before dawn. It was a calculated move. The warm colors of the sunrise hid the flames and the darkness hid the smoke.

The Nara were awakened by the bellows of stags. They were so loud that they seemed to have all joined the call, a sure sign that this was an alert.

Shikaku rolled out of bed, put on a shirt and grabbed his weapon pouch while his wife was doing the same on the other side of the room. Yoshino grabbed Shikamaru from his crib. The two weeks old baby was awake and fussing, but as soon as he was in his mother's arms he settled.

"Bring him to okaa-san," Shikaku said as they moved down the stairs. "Then take control of the compound protection detail and send the reinforcements with a Nara guide as soon as they arrived."

Yoshino agreed with a tense nod. She was barely recovered from her pregnancy and childbirth, she couldn't join him even if she wanted to. They jumped out of the house and in the adjacent trees without a word.

Shikaku was followed by all able-bodied Nara of chuunin rank and above. Under their feet beating the branches, the deers were fleeing the fire in direction of the compound, where they would be safe in the courtyard. They were carrying small animals on their back, like squirrels, foxes, or hedgehogs. It was the first time Shikaku had ever seen the extent of Konoha-hime's perfect control over the forest's inhabitants.

As one, the Nara stopped. They were forming a semicircle in the middle of the forest without any apparent reason why.

"Why did we stop?" someone asked.

They were all wondering the same thing. The order had come from nowhere, silent and inescapable.

"It's Konoha-hime telling us to stay away," an elder said. Nara Hideaki was Shikaku's great-uncle and the most knowledgeable about the forest and its protector.

"But why? We're supposed to protect her! to protect the forest! We need to put out the fire!"

"There are some things we can't protect a kami against," Hideaki noted somberly.

Before they could debate on what was attacking them, they were blasted by an explosion coming from the fire's origin. Most of them were blown off the trees. Shikaku was propelled against a tree trunk and only avoided a fall thanks to it.

Their ears were ringing. They needed a minute to get back on their feet and look up to see the devastation. The fire had progressed faster thanks to the blast. It was on them.

A few jounin tried to douse the flames with water jutsu, but it wasn't their clan's speciality. There weren't enough of them.

"We need to pull back!" Hideaki shouted.

Shikaku was going to give the order when waves of water rose above them and crashed into the flames, getting the fire to retreat.

"Reinforcements!"

Konoha shinobi flooded in, forming a line in front of the fire, water users on the forefront. The Yondaime landed beside Shikaku, with Inoichi and Chouza right under them. Inoichi was starting another water jutsu.

"What happened, Shikaku?" Minato asked.

"We don't know. Konoha-hime forced us to stop here, and a moment later the explosion happened. We have to get to the center of the blast!"

"So, since it's already on fire, do you think Konoha-hime will forgive me if I flatten the forest a little?"

"What?"

Before Shikaku could guess what Minato had in mind, the Yondaime jumped to the ground and started a summoning. The apparition of Gamabunta knocked over a few people off the trees once again.

"Bunta-san, can you help us extinguish the fire?" Minato asked from his perch on the toad's head.

The blast of water coming out of the toad was like a torrent, sweeping everything along the way. Once he was done extinguishing everything in reach, Gamabunta puffed on his pipe (its smoke blended in with the smoking trees) and commented: "Well, now, someone's going to be in trouble with the Kami, and I tell you it won't be me."

As he spoke, several corpses washed up at his feet before the remaining water evaporated or penetrated into the ground.

Shikaku stared at the fallow deer's corpse in the middle of the human bodies. "No!" he shouted, jumping down and rushing to the deer's side.

Silently, all shinobi dropped to the ground around him, surprised by the clear distress in the usually phlegmatic jounin.

The corpse was gravely burnt, but it was recognizable by its magnificent antlers, although the leaves and flowers which used to decorate it were in ruin. Shikaku's hand trembled as he stroke the snout covered in blood.

"Shikaku?" Minato murmured softly. His friend had been brought to meet Konoha-hime after his inauguration. He knew who the body belonged to, just like Inoichi and Chouza. None of them dared to step forward, conscious that this was something much more important to the Nara.

"It doesn't mean anything," Hideaki said as he stepped forward slowly. His inability to stare away from the corpse negated his apparent calm. "A kami doesn't need a body to exist. The deer was only a vessel, for our benefit."

"While that's true," Gamabunta said, looking down upon them, "a kami can regenerate their vessel nearly from scratch. A few burns and bumps shouldn't matter."

"Then, what happened?" Shikaku asked.

"I'm no seer," the toad grumbled. "If you want me to answer that, maybe you should start by telling me what I missed and who are those?" He pointed toward the two human corpses.

ANBU had surrounded the strangers and were studying them. At Minato's glance, one of them spoke up: "The corpses are badly burnt, Hokage-sama. One of them is actually rotting at an accelerated rate as we speak, it's rather… disgusting." The agent faltered for a second and took a step back as the form at his feet broke down into dust. "This one didn't seem to be human."

"And the other?"

Another ANBU, crouched next to the corresponding body, replied: "While he shows body modifications on his right side, this one is human. Male. Age impossible to determine. His eyes seem to have exploded in their sockets. The damage is consistent with multiple internal hemorrhages due to an overdose of chakra. Someone or something destroyed him from the inside. Remnants of matching clothes are visible on the two bodies. Black cloth with red patterns."

Shikaku related the events before Gamabunta's summoning.

The chief toad hummed and observed: "An explosion is due to a discharge of energy. A kami can contain an enormous amount of energy. There are two options here: either the energy produced was too gigantic for even Konoha-hime's power and she was destroyed when reducing the blast to a manageable level for your benefit… or the explosion was an attempt to annihilate those two here. In both cases, that would indicate that your enemies' power was great enough to confront a kami head-on. The second option seems more likely. In the first case, anything in the middle of the blast would have been incinerated, there wouldn't be any bodies left. In the second case, the explosion might have been produced by the attempt of those two to defend themselves when she overdosed their bodies with her chakra. They would have been in the eye of the blast which explains their relatively intact state."

"What of Konoha-hime?" Shikaku asked impatiently.

Gamabunta huffed and looked at the horizon, where the sun was rising steadily and bathing the world in warm colors despite the catastrophe it witnessed. "From where I am, it seems you might find something interesting in the middle of the crater."

Shikaku didn't wait for more. He ran into the burnt forest. He took a kerchief from his pocket and covered the bottom of his face to protect himself from the smoke. His eyes itched because of the fumes and his sandals made hissing sounds as he pushed through hot ground. After a minute, he reached what had only been visible to Gamabunta: a crater so wide that it could have swallowed half of the Nara compound. Its depth was twice Shikaku's height, and that was only the part who wasn't yet filled with water.

In the middle of the crater, Shikaku squinted to identify the small shape floating on the water. It looked like a tree trunk and on it…

"A baby?" Inoichi asked as he stood on Shikaku's side.

The Nara didn't pay attention to the four people who had joined him — Inoichi, Chouza, Minato and Hideaki. He jumped into the crater and walked on the water.

It was indeed a baby, a human baby looking a few months old, female, with dark hair, dusky skin and green eyes. She was waiting calmly until Shikaku appeared in her field of vision. That's when she started to wave her arms and legs in his direction, babbling and smiling.

"Hey there," Shikaku murmured on instinct before reaching for her.

"Is she who I think she is?" Inoichi asked, wide-eyed, as they all watched Shikaku take the baby in his arms.

"Kami don't age, but they can die," Gamabunta's voice sounded out above them. He was watching from the side of the crater. "The thing is… they reincarnate in any way they want. Apparently, Konoha-hime was done with the whole deity business. I can't say I understand her interest in humanity, but that's her choice I suppose."

"So it's really her?" Minato asked.

"Do baby humans often spontaneously appear in the middle of craters?" Gamabunta replied, deadpan.

Minato chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "I guess not."

"What should we do?" Chouza asked. "Will you raise her with your son, Shikaku?"

"I wouldn't recommend it," Gamabunta warned.

"Why?"

"Human, she might be, but that's a past deity we're talking about here. She'll retain part of her abilities. What do you think will happen around a young kid with such power? I'd certainly not trust such a tadpole around squishy defenseless beings."

Shikaku winced at the idea of his house ending up as a similar crater, with his son still in it.

"I can raise her," Hideaki offered. "Until she's able to control her powers, I can raise her in the forest. I raised two girls and still help with the grandkids, it can't be hard to remember how to do it, kami or not. I owe Konoha-hime that."

"If you're sure," Shikaku said. If he couldn't do it, he trusted his grand-uncle to do so.

Hideaki carefully took the baby and smiled at her big grin. "Whatever she did today, it seems she saved us from certain disaster. I'll protect her with the same devotion as she did for us all these generations, I swear it."

"You'll have Konoha's full support. If you need anything, tell me," Minato announced.

"You should help with the forest's care. That's what she would want."

"Of course."

* * *

_In case that wasn't clear enough, the Kami killed Obito and Zetsu, thus avoiding the release of the Kyuubi on Konoha._

_This story is nearly completely written. It will be short: only a few more chapters after this._


	2. Chapter 2

A knock sounded out.

The party was in full swing in the garden. No-one else was inside to hear it. With a deep sigh, Shikamaru went to open the door, Chouji following placidly behind him.

A girl was waiting on the other side. She was around their age, a little taller than them. She had tan skin, bright green eyes, a wide smile and very long brown hair in a ponytail. She was pretty. Her clothes were simple and traditional, a green kimono top with brown shorts and brown boots. The oddity was the big backpack she was carrying (bigger than herself, it showed above her head) as if she was going camping with way too much gear.

"Hello!" she greeted them with a mega-watt smile. "Are you Shikamaru-kun? Nice to meet you! I wish to speak to Shikaku-san!"

"Uh," Shikamaru said at first, surprised by her joyful countenance and the fact she knew him. He had never met her. "Yeah, that's me. Sure. Come in."

"Thank you!" She stepped in and gracefully removed her boots without tipping over due to the extra weight on her back, a feat of agility which showed at least a bit of physical training.

"He's in the garden," Shikamaru said before leading the way. He met Chouji's questioning eyes and only then realized he hadn't asked the newcomer who she was. Troublesome. Why hadn't she introduce herself anyway? If she ended up being a persona non grata, his mother would lecture him for hours.

"Oh. There are a lot of people," she commented with a hint of uncertainty.

"Yeah, it's our graduation party."

"Graduation?"

Shikamaru gestured toward his hitai-ate. "We became genin yesterday."

"Oh, is that so? Congratulations! To you too Chouji-kun — you're Chouji-kun, right? You must be proud!" She leaned back to meet Chouji's eyes. Her smile was back in full force.

"Ah, y-yes," Chouji stuttered, surprised to be addressed, recognized and complimented.

Well, she couldn't be an enemy, right? At least, she was kind-hearted.

"Oh. Should I have brought you a present?" she asked, looking so worried that she frowned deeply. The girl was expressive.

"No, no," Chouji replied, waving his hands. "There are no presents, just food!"

"So I should have brought food?"

"No, that's fine, there's plenty!"

"Oh, okay…" She stood quietly on the patio, looking at the people gathered in the courtyard chatting happily.

There was his family, Chouji's family and Ino's. Asuma was there as well and Kurenai had come with him so they had invited her team and their family, and then —since they couldn't very well not invite the last team— Kakashi, team seven and their families were there too. That was a total of around thirty people. It sure meant a lot of noise, which was why Shikamaru had escaped in the house for a while.

Since their guest was apparently group-shy, Shikamaru sighed and went to fetch his father. "Dad, someone wants to see you."

Shikaku stopped his conversation with the Hokage to glance over his shoulder at who Shikamaru was indicating. He was a jounin and as such he did not startle, but Shikamaru didn't miss his double take.

"Is that—?" Inoichi started.

Shikaku gave him his glass with a distracted "excuse me" and hurried toward the girl who was watching him like he hung the moon.

Shikamaru followed. His laziness was supplanted by curiosity. Clearly, they knew each other, but who was she?

"Hime. Is everything alright? Why are you here?" Shikaku asked.

Hime? The only person his father had ever called 'princess' was Senju Tsunade, and she certainly was much older than that. Who was this girl?!

"Hideaki-san died last night," the mysterious princess replied with soulful eyes. "His heart stopped."

Shikaku visibly held back a curse. "Hime, I'm sorry. I'll send people to take care of him."

"Oh, no, it's fine," she replied with a shake of her head. "I buried him before coming, just like he wanted, under his favorite tree. I also took everything there was in the house," she explained, patting her backpack. She smiled proudly.

"Give it to me," Shikaku murmured with a gesture.

She obediently removed her backpack. Shikaku gave it to Chouji.

"Can you put this in the guest room please, Chouji-kun? Thanks."

While Chouji nodded, he was clearly surprised at the weight of the backpack. He lifted it with both hands and glanced at the girl, impressed by her strength. Knowing the house as well as his own, he left toward the stairs to the first floor.

"Can I stay?" she asked hopefully.

Shikaku rubbed her forearm, a casual gesture of comfort he usually only bestowed to his wife (Shikamaru didn't need it, he prefered his father's attention and words). "Of course, you can stay. Your training was ending anyway, wasn't it?"

"Yes! Hideaki-san said I had reached a much better control!"

"Then there is no reason for you to stay away. Come. Did you eat today?"

She shyly looked down at her socks. "No. I wasn't very hungry. I cried a lot."

"Of course you did," he sighed, stepping forward until he was right in front of her. With him in the garden and her on the patio, they were nearly the same height. He opened his arms, and she immediately threw herself in his embrace, making him carry all her weight as she clasped her legs around his waist, like a baby monkey holding onto his mom.

Shikamaru watched, quite puzzled, as his father sat down on the patio and patted the back of an unknown crying girl. He had never pegged his father as the comforting type. Their eyes met, and Shikamaru mouthed: "Who is she?"

"Konoha-hime," his father replied in the same way.

"Are you kidding me?!"

"No."

"I thought she was dead?"

"Reincarnated. Remember the story."

"I thought it was a legend!"

"Wrong."

"Uh, I brought her boots?" Chouji interrupted hesitantly.

"Thank you Chouji," Shikaku said out loud as he stroke Konoha-hime's hair. "It's alright, Kojika. You won't be alone, you can stay here. Don't worry."

Great. Konoha-hime was called fawn, of all the names they could have given her… Shikamaru rubbed his brow. The Nara were so lazy it was giving him headaches. There were a dozen Kojika in the clan!

Her sobbing ebbed down. She put back on her boots with just a few sniffles.

"Are you ready to eat a little?" Shikaku asked.

"I'm not sure."

"A few things, or you'll make my wife worry. There are tempura and gyoza, with a lot of sweets you can try."

"Vegetable tempura?"

"I'm sure we can find you some. Chouji, do you mind showing her the buffet?"

"Not at all." The Akimichi put back on his sandals and led Kojika away with a comforting smile.

Shikamaru lingered to whisper to his father: "She really is the kami?!"

"Her reincarnation, yes. She had to be raised in the forest by my great-uncle to avoid accidents which would put her anonymity at risk. Hideaki was old, but I didn't realize he was going to die on her. Let's go warn your mother."

"You could have warned me. Is she really going to stay here?"

"I would have raised her like your sister if you hadn't been at risk to be blown up by vines at her first temper tantrum. We owe her a lot, Shikamaru. Be nice."

They had reached Yoshino, who had congregated with most of the adults. They hadn't missed the arrival of a newcomer and the comfort Shikaku provided her. Respectful of her privacy, they had stayed away, but they had noticed every detail, Shikamaru was sure of it.

"What happened?" Yoshino asked.

"Hideaki died, in his sleep from what I gathered. She buried him."

"Shit," Inoichi murmured.

Shikamaru glanced toward the buffet and noticed that Chouji looked flustered as Kojika stood extremely close to him. Since the adults were rehashing the same subject, Shikamaru left them to go save his best friend.

"Hime, did anyone told you about personal space?"

"Yes," she replied as she poked the marks on Chouji's cheeks. After a second, she froze, glanced at Shikamaru's unimpressed face and then Chouji's wide eyes. She stepped back with a sheepish grin. "Oh. I was bothering you. I'm sorry, Chouji-kun."

"T-that's fine. You… Uh. You don't seem to have met a lot of people, did you?"

"No, not really. It's the first time I have seen so many people at once," she admitted, biting her lip worriedly. "Am I being weird? I'm trying too hard, right?"

Shikamaru sighed and rubbed his brow. That girl was going to be troublesome, he could feel it, but she meant well, and Chouji liked her. "It's fine, just don't touch people without their permission."

"Of course, you're right. I know it, but Shikaku-san told me so much about you that I feel like I know you and… that's not an excuse, of course. I'm sorry, Chouji-kun."

"It's fine," Chouji repeated patiently. "Don't worry. Would you like some gyoza? Shikaku-san mentioned it…"

"Oh, yes, I like them. Are there some with vegetables?"

"I believe so. Do you only eat vegetables?"

"I like fish too! I only eat meat if I have no other choice. It's the 'kami protector of forest's animals' thing, I think," she admitted with insouciance.

At Chouji's puzzled look, Shikamaru whispered: "She's Konoha-hime's reincarnation."

"Really?"

"Apparently."

"Ooh."

Shika waved an exasperated hand. "That doesn't surprise you more?"

"I always liked the story. I know you didn't really believe it, but I did. I'm glad I can meet her. Dad always said she was nice. Now I understand."

"Right." Shikamaru pushed his hands in his pockets and said to the girl currently busy filling her plate: "You might not want to talk about the 'kami thing' to everyone."

She looked up, wide-eyed. "I forgot! Oh, I'm doing so many mistakes," she hissed to herself. The plate was put down as if it suddenly disgusted her. She looked so distressed that Shikamaru worried that she was going to start crying again.

"Shikamaru, are you bothering this poor girl?!"

Ino's appearance and accusation should have annoyed him, but Shikamaru saw this opportunity for what it was. He grabbed his teammate by the hand and dragged her two steps away. Before she could protest, he quickly gave her a round down of the situation, knowing that as a Yamanaka she had a right to know anyway.

"Konoha-hime?" Ino whispered. "No wonder she's so pretty!"

"That's what you retained from all of this?" Shikamaru sighed. "Nevermind. Can you do something before she starts crying?"

"Of course she wants to cry, idiot, she lost her parent! How would you feel?" Not waiting for an answer, Ino strode forward. "Nice to meet you, hime, I am—"

"Ino-chan," Kojika said with a little smile. "Nice to meet you. Your father told me about you. You're as pretty as he said. I like your dress."

Ino preened, pushing her hair back with an elegant wave of her hand to show off her pink and purple dress. "Thank you. You're really pretty too, especially your eyes, that's a really nice green."

"Thanks." She smiled to the trio surrounding her. "You can call me Kojika if you want."

"That's fine if you call me Chouji."

"Can I? I'd love to."

Shikamaru watched the proceedings with half-closed eyes. Maybe dealing with her wouldn't be so difficult after all.

Kojika started to sneeze before Shikamaru even noticed the slight odor of tobacco that announced Asuma-sensei's arrival. The jounin froze when he was suddenly on the receiving end of a powerful glare. Kojika was holding her nose with a disgusted expression.

Squirrels started to chatter in nearby trees.

Shikaku appeared behind Asuma and tapped his shoulder. "May I talk to you?"

There were no cigarettes to be seen or smelt for the rest of the day, or anytime Asuma would be near Kojika in the future (Shikamaru would learn later that his sensei had been warned about the fate of cigarettes in her vicinity: they tended to disappear rather quickly).

oOo

A few weeks later, yawning and scratching his scalp, Shikamaru knocked at the bathroom's door.

"It's open!" Kojika shouted.

He went to push the handle. His mother appeared in a second and grabbed his wrist.

"Kojika, darling, are you dressed?"

There was a moment of silence then some noise as if she was scrambling to cover herself. After some throat clearing, she replied: "I am, now."

Shikamaru blinked repeatedly.

His mother chuckled and scolded the girl gently: "Try to remember next time."

"Yes, Yoshino-san! Sorry!"

When Shikamaru finally dared to push the door, it was to find Kojika perfectly decent in T-shirt and pants. She was brushing her long hair and smiling sheepishly. "Good morning!"

"Hi." He shuffled over and grabbed his toothbrush. "Now I understand why mom is always watching me like a hawk since you arrived."

She chuckled nervously. "Sorry, I'm not used to—"

"It's fine, I get it. You don't know the social conventions, that's why mom is telling me to be careful for you." He started to brush his teeth.

"I don't mean to be troublesome," she murmured, looking at her feet.

Shikamaru froze for a second before focusing on washing. He couldn't afford to be late for training. However, as soon as his mouth was free, he commented: "Don't take what I say seriously. When I say 'troublesome', it's not a personal criticism, it's just a verbal tic, ok?"

"Oh, ok."

"If something really bothers me, I'll tell you. If I don't, it's not worth worrying about."

"Ok."

"Good." He washed his skin, grumbling when his hair refused to stay away from his face. Two helpful hands came to hold it for him. Shikamaru glanced in the mirror to see Kojika touching his hair curiously.

"Yours is thicker than mine. Is that why it stays up when you tie it?"

"Probably."

"... Can I brush your hair?"

"Sure. You can do it while I dress, it will make things faster."

"Alright!"

She went to follow him in his room. He put a hand up to stop her.

"Let me put on my shirt and pants first."

She blinked, glanced at his pyjamas, then smiled sheepishly. "Of course."

He called her in when he was done, sitting on the foot of his bed. She jumped on the mattress with a brush and one of his usual tie. She had a determined expression on. Shikamaru snorted as he put on his vest and hitai-ate. "Don't take it so seriously. It's just hair. You brush yours all the time and it's much longer than mine."

"Uhuh, but I don't want to pull your hair and hurt you, or like, do it wrong and then your hair will fall on your face while you fight. That's no good. Oooh, it's really thick, it sticks out, that's funny. I like your hair."

By the time he had wrapped his holster around his thigh, he was ready, his ponytail looking just like usual. Kojika was waiting for his approval with an expectant grin.

"It's fine," he muttered.

"Yay!" She stood up and bowed. "Train well, Shikamaru! Do your best!"

"Yeah, thanks. What are you gonna do today?" he asked as he left the room.

"Yoshino is teaching me to cook! She's going to teach me all your family's favorite dishes, so I can do them to thank you for letting me stay!" She followed him with small silent steps. He had noticed that she skittered more than she walked.

"Is that so? Mh… So it's decided then, you won't become a kunoichi?"

"No, I'm not interested in fighting. I protect and nurture, that's what I do."

"Fair enough. Fighting is troublesome."

She giggled while he put on his sandals. "That's why I liked your clan, I remember."

"What?"

"The Nara didn't want to fight. It was war everywhere and between everyone, but the Nara just wanted to be left alone. They still fought, though, because it was necessary, but not because they liked it. That's why I helped them." She bounced up and down. "I'm glad I did."

"Right." He needed to remember he was talking to a young human but old being. How troublesome.

oOo

"Kojika kissed me."

Shikamaru was startled out of his contemplation of the clouds by Chouji's sudden confession. While Shikamaru had known his best friend wanted to tell him something for a while, that wasn't exactly what he had expected.

"She did?"

"Yesterday, while you napped… She saw your parents do it, and she wanted to know how it felt, so… uh… she asked me to do it."

"And?"

"It was... nice? She has really soft lips, and she smelled like the strawberries she had just eaten."

Shikamaru hummed and glanced at his blushing friend. "Do you like her?"

"She's nice and pretty," Chouji admitted, rubbing his red cheeks, "but I don't think I could be with a girl who doesn't like meat. I don't think she really likes me that way either. She's just a really good friend. She doesn't mind my weight. It's... nice."

What he meant, Shikamaru knew, was "it's rare".

"Don't worry about it. You'll find someone."

"I'm not sure…"

Shikamaru rose on his elbows to look at his friend in the eye. "You realize you're probably the first of our age to kiss anyone, right?"

"I-I'm not!"

"Well, I don't think Naruto and Sasuke's count, considering it was more teeth than lips."

"R-right."

"Tch. Don't underestimate yourself like that. Do you want me to feel bad or what?"

"No!"

"Mpf." Shikamaru smirked and elbowed him. "Charmer."

Chouji chuckled and shook his head. "I'm not! She's the one who asked! I'm sure she'd have asked you if you weren't sleeping."

"Then it's a good thing I was."

"Don't you like her?"

"She's fine, but I have to live with her, you know. No need to make it awkward."

"I suppose."

Shikamaru hissed as he was suddenly pushed forward. He turned around while rubbing his back to see a deer ready to nudge him again.

"Looks like it's time for dinner," Chouji observed, standing up.

"Yeah. Easy, boy. I got it. Geez, of all the things she could do with her abilities, why does she have to use animals as her personal messengers?"

"Maybe your clan's laziness rubbed off on her."

Shikamaru groaned and chose to ignore his friend's amusement. At least the deer was better than squirrels throwing things at him. She only did that when she was annoyed with him.


	3. Chapter 3

Team Ten had just been dismissed by their sensei after they confirmed their participation to the chuunin exam in Konoha. Shikamaru was far from overjoyed, but Asuma had a point: it was better to see how it worked while it happened on their territory rather than being forced to go in another country without any idea of what to expect. _That_ would be a real drag. _This_ was… merely troublesome.

Still, he had tuned out Ino's excited chatter minutes ago. His focus was on everything else but her, which meant he noticed easily the group of their friends surrounding someone… someone who appeared to be Kojika.

Suspicious, he immediately went to see what the fuss was about, distracting Ino out of her tirade while Chouji followed without question.

"That's nice of you, but we don't really need it, you know," Naruto was telling Kojika. "We'll pass this exam easily, you'll see!"

"What's going on?" Shikamaru interrupted.

Naruto turned around and beamed at him. "Hey, Shika! Your friend was offering us talismans for good luck and protection, for the Chuunin exams, but I was telling her it wasn't necessary."

As Team Seven and Eight shifted to give the newcomers more space, Shikamaru noticed the strips of paper held in Kojika's hands. Ofuda were commonly bought or offered at the multiple temples worshipping Konoha-hime around town. They were usually made by priests and miko. Kojika wouldn't have brought those. She would have made them herself, and if they were made by her then they were much more than a piece of paper and ink.

Kojika looked upset by Naruto's refusal. It was obvious for anyone with empathy, which was why Hinata looked ready to ask for one, although her chronic shyness stopped her from speaking after Naruto.

Shikamaru held out a hand expectantly. Kojika beamed and gave him one. He waved his fingers for the rest. She handed them all over, puzzled. Shikamaru handed one to each of his teammates, who accepted it without hesitation and bowed their head in thanks to Kojika. Shikamaru slid his in his undershirt. Chouji tied his to his thigh holster. Ino tied hers around the hitai-ate she used as a belt.

Ino's willingness to wear the talisman caught Sakura's attention. Shikamaru handed her a talisman and then gave one to Hinata and Shino. They accepted it all without a fuss, although they kept it in hand rather than putting them on.

"Eh. Scared by the exam, Shika?" Kiba jested.

"My father was saved by an ofuda, years ago," Shikamaru replied, stone-faced. Every Nara wore an ofuda blessed by the kami (or, more recently, by Kojika). Many more than his father had been saved by them. "And Kojika's ofuda are the best. You wouldn't go to the exam without a kunai. So stop being idiots and take the talismans." Shikamaru held out his hand with the three remaining talismans fanned out.

Sasuke was the first to take one. The Uchiha clan was traditional, ofuda were part of their lives. He folded it carefully to slid it in his thigh holster. Predictably, Naruto followed and took one. Left alone without one, Kiba reluctantly took the last, although he kept it in hand.

Shikamaru sighed and rubbed the back of his head. These guys had no idea what boon they had been granted and by who. It was bothering Shikamaru more than he thought it should, and he had to stop himself from grumbling 'troublesome'. Kojika might take that the wrong way. Still, he couldn't help but snap: "Who the hell raised you? What do you say?"

Surprised by his unusual temper, Team Seven and Eight immediately scrambled to bow and thank Kojika. The girl waved a hand in dismissal, but she looked much more pleased.

"You're welcome! I have to go back to the temple now, I have to be fitted for my miko outfit. Good luck everyone!"

"Wait," Naruto said once she was gone. "She's a miko?"

"She means as an apprentice, right? She's too young to be a full priestess." Sakura commented curiously.

Shikamaru shook his head. "She has been accepted as a full miko after only two weeks of apprenticeship. Something about a special connection to Konoha-hime," he explained nonchalantly, shrugging as he used the official excuse he had been taught. The head priest of the temple, a Nara, had actually been ready to hand over his role to Kojika. Shikaku and she had managed to convince him that would be too obvious, and that she needed more training as a human anyway. "I told you her ofuda are the best."

Hinata and Shino took greater care to find a good place for their talismans.

oOo

Shikamaru slouched against the railing of the upper balcony on which they were watching the one-on-one matches of the preliminaries. He had spent five days in the Forest of Death, and all he was dreaming about now was going back home to take a bath and sleep. Of course, that would have been too easy. They had to fight, again. At least he was done with his own match. He had passed against the girl from Oto. As for Ino, well… she'd recover from her fight with Sakura. Now, there was only Chouji left, with three other genin.

Shikamaru glanced at the billboard from the corner of his eyes, internally praying to Kojika that his best friend wouldn't end up against the crazy boy from Suna. He let out a soft sigh of relief when it showed "_Gaara VS Rock Lee_". He'd give Kojika a hug when he got back home. Luck had been on their side during the whole exam. He might be more superstitious than he had ever been before knowing Kojika, but the facts were clear: when he was nice to her, luck was on his side; when she was angry with him, it wasn't. So, hugging the reincarnated kami, it was. If it worked, it worked!

"Sakura-chan, give your ofuda to Lee-kun."

Brought out of his musings, Shikamaru glanced to the side.

Sakura looked surprised by her sensei. She had recently came back from the infirmary along with Ino, and she looked a bit ruffled but otherwise fine.

Rock Lee, who was getting ready to climb on the railing, paused curiously. "I'll be fine, Hatake-san, thank you!"

The usually laidback jounin didn't seem ready to take no for an answer. "Sakura," he repeated.

Noticing her sensei's seriousness, Sakura obediently took the ofuda given by Kojika out of her holster and handed it over to Lee. When he looked ready to refuse, his own sensei stepped in:

"Take it, Lee. A gift from a comrade is a beautiful thing!" The thumbs up and enthusiastic grin seemed excessive to Shikamaru, but apparently, it was the right thing to say. Lee accepted the talisman, gave a thumbs up to his sensei, and beamed to Sakura with a lot of exuberant thankfulness.

The poor girl seemed to regret her gesture. In fact, once Lee had jumped over the railing to reach his opponent faster, she whined to her sensei: "Why?"

"He might need it, like Sasuke."

Shikamaru straightened at that tidbit and glanced in the Uchiha's direction. He looked fine enough. Shikamaru wondered why he had needed the ofuda's protection.

Lee… Lee's need became clear enough for all to see. For a few terrifying seconds, they all thought that he would be crushed by Gaara's sand. When the sand subsided, however, they all could see that ink was covering Gaara's limbs like armor.

Sakura gasped in surprise. "That's the ofuda's doing?"

Kakashi hummed in thought. "Ink imbued with will."

Shikamaru caught sight of Sasuke's hand reaching for his neck.

Well, it seemed that Kojika's ofuda would gain in popularity among his friends. Good. They wouldn't dismiss her again. It frustrated him too much when he was annoyed about it.

oOo

A few days later, Shikamaru was lazing on the steps of the main temple, waiting for Kojika to finish her day. Initially, he had come on clan business, but the temple's garden was truly one of the best in Konoha. It was so beautifully calm. So he had taken a nap. Now he might as well wait for her and escorted her back home. There were foreigners in town, after all.

Leaning back with his elbows on the step behind him, he watched believers come and go. He was surprised to see Team Seven come forward. Their sensei lingered by the trees while his students climbed the stone stairs.

"Hey, Shika! What are you doing here?"

"Waiting for Kojika. You?"

"Sensei says we should ask her for ofuda, for the finals!"

"Is that so? Changed your mind then?" Shikamaru asked with half-closed eyes, his attention wandering to Sasuke.

"Yeah," Naruto admitted, more subdued. "It helped a lot actually, during the second exam."

Shikamaru hummed questioningly, knowing that he didn't need to do much to get the truth out of Naruto. Sasuke elbowed his teammate before he could speak though. Something the Uchiha was ashamed of, then. Interesting.

"Do you think she'll give us more?" Sakura asked. "It was a gift before, but you usually pay for talismans at a temple. I brought money, but I'm not sure how much it costs."

Instead of answering, Shikamaru threw his neck back and shouted: "Hime!"

"Hime? There is a princess?" Naruto asked excitedly.

Pitter-patter was heard as Kojika scampered on the parquet. "Yes?" she asked, appearing around a corner in her white and red miko outfit. It fit her.

Shikamaru waved a hand toward Team Seven. "They're asking what you want in exchange for ofuda."

Kojika beamed in pleasure. "They were useful then?"

"Very much so, Kojika-san, thank you so much." Sakura bowed deeply, pulling Naruto along while Sasuke didn't need any prompting to do so.

"I'm glad!" She waved her arms widely (she liked to play with her wide sleeves). "I'll you make some more, right away!" And she went back where she came from like the forest spirit she was.

"You're calling her a princess?" Naruto asked.

Shikamaru hummed. "Clan tradition. She's blessed by the Kami."

"No other ofuda can do what hers did," Sasuke spoke up.

"Yeah? What's that?"

Sasuke clammed up.

Shikamaru shrugged. "Maybe it's just your imagination. Faith and all that jazz, it can do things—"

"Faith can't neutralize a seal done by a sannin," Sasuke hissed, predictably upset by the suggestion that it was all in his mind. The Uchiha required a bit more work, but he was as easy to manipulate as Naruto, in the end.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. A seal? By a sannin? Now, that was far from anything he could have guessed.

"Yeah! It was awesome!" Naruto shouted. "That snake guy bit Sasuke on the neck, but the ofuda sizzled and suddenly all the ink went to Sasuke's neck. Dad says it sealed the seal! It was completely stopped before it could spread, and dad just had to remove it all, easy peasy. How cool is that?"

"Shut up, you, moron," Sasuke grumbled, but he didn't fight to shut up Naruto. The cat was out of the bag, by his own fault.

Shikamaru hummed thoughtfully, the pieces of the puzzle adding up in his mind. Orochimaru had attacked Sasuke during the second exam and tried to seal him? Weird. He'd need to talk to his father about it.

"And yours?" he asked Naruto.

"Oh." Naruto rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed. "There was this biiig snake who threw me out of the fight. It was a long fall and I was dazed, but the ofuda got out of my pocket, became super large, and it caught me before I crashed, like a net!"

Shikamaru had to admit: he didn't know the ofuda could do that, but then he was pretty sure that only Team Seven had needed theirs. They had terrible luck... He would suggest they hugged Kojika if that wasn't disturbing on too many levels.

"Here you go!"

They all startled. Kojika had appeared in complete silence this time. Shikamaru pressed a hand to his heart with a grumble. She only did that when she overused her powers. It was unintentional, but it was damn annoying. He nudged her ankle discreetly while she handed over the ofuda to Team Seven.

Understanding the message, she pulled back her chakra. He could feel it. He had learned what to look for. When her chakra leaked, she gave off a peaceful and happy aura. It made him want to sleep even more than usual.

Team Seven left after they promised to each plant a seed near their house as payment. They had been baffled by the request, but Shikamaru had pointed out with a shrug: "Konoha-hime's temple. Konoha-hime's rules." He had personally decided not to try making sense of them.

Once they were alone, Shikamaru craned his neck to stare at Kojika standing beside him. "Do you know what your ofuda do when they trigger?"

"Sure," she replied brightly before making a face. "That seal was really slimy. Yuck." She shuddered and then went back inside. "I'm grabbing my bag, and we can go!"

Shikamaru hummed in acknowledgement and stared at the backs of Team Seven as they reached their sensei. Hatake's eye was following Kojika. Shikamaru would bet that he knew who she was. As an ex-ANBU and the Yondaime's prized student… yes, he knew.

oOo

A month later, standing among his peers on the top of the Hokage tower, Shikamaru watched Konoha and its damaged buildings. The invasion by Oto and Suna had left its mark. While it had been a huge defeat for their enemies, with the death of Orochimaru at the Yondaime's hands and the murder of the Kazekage before that, the cost would be heavy for Konoha.

Shikamaru noted at least two breaches on the battlements, several infrastructures crumbling and at least an entire district in ruins. It wasn't enough to handicap the village, but it was a blow to the moral nonetheless.

A door opened behind the rows of shinobi present. The ceremony for those who had died during the attack had ended a few minutes ago, but they had been ordered to stay.

The Sand siblings and their sensei were brought forward, under the more or less harsh stares of Konoha shinobi. While Sand's invading troops had been allowed to retreat, this emblematic team had been kept prisoners once Kushina-san had subdued their jinchuuriki.

Chouji fidgeted at his side. "They aren't going to publicly execute them, right?" he whispered worriedly.

"That's not the Yondaime's style," Shikamaru replied from the corner of his lips.

Indeed, the Hokage stood on a platform with a hand on his hips and a relaxed stance. His cloak was billowing around him, his hat in his free hand. He was watching the prisoners calmly. "Rumors have circulated about Konoha these last years, which might have led Suna — and others — to believe us weakened. I'd like you to be witnesses to the contrary."

He waved his hat toward an Akimichi standing to the side. The man rose a horn which he blew. It was one of the traditional signals. The sound was audible in all the village. In the streets below, all the civilians disappeared from view, stepping in houses and shops. The shinobi jumped on roofs.

The Hokage had waved his guests forward, to the edge of the roof, and gestured toward his shinobi, indicating they could break rank and do the same.

After a minute, the horn was blown again.

"Watch the wall, at two o'clock," the Hokage said.

Shikamaru leaned on the railing to let those behind him see. Two o'clock was where the biggest breach was. At first, there was nothing, then some movement. Finally, it was visible to the naked eye: a tree was growing, steadily becoming bigger than the houses next to it, until it was higher than the battlements itself. There was a distant rumble as branches could be seen sinking into the stone until wall and tree were one.

"West breach sealed," came the announcement from a radio behind the crowd of witnesses. An ANBU was coordinating the event.

"South-east breach, eleven o'clock."

In a similar way, a tree grew to fill the space.

"Hydroelectric plant, ten o'clock."

The crumbling wall was straightened by a mass of lianas.

"East district. Eight o'clock."

Treehouses grew out of the debris like mushrooms in autumn, but on accelerated speed.

One after the other, the scars disfiguring Konoha disappeared under a mass of green.

"Is that Kojika-chan's doing?" Chouji whispered to his best friend.

Shikamaru shrugged, but he couldn't look away. Konoha had never been 'hidden in the leaves' as much as today.

oOo

When Shikamaru and his father went back home a few hours later, the call of their arrival was met by a hush coming from Yoshino. With a finger across her lips, she pointed toward the living-room with her head. The boys peeked inside to find Kojika sleeping under the kotatsu.

"She's like this since she came in," Yoshino explained when they joined her in the kitchen. "All this show really exhausted her. I hope it was worth it."

"The Sand's team looked properly awed," Shikaku replied, leaning against the fridge with his arms crossed. "And they were not the only ones. Konoha-hime's tale is going to see a return to popularity."

"So she really did all of this? On her own?" Shikamaru asked.

"Most of it, yes. Does it bother you?"

Shikamaru shrugged. After watching a kid his age oozing killing intent grow into a monster, frankly, he was rather fine with having a force of nature he could trust on his side. "Not really."

Footsteps warned them Kojika had awoken. Shikamaru was unsurprised when arms went around his waist and a face was pressed against his shoulder.

"Welcome hooome," Kojika mumbled around a yawn. She rubbed her cheek against his shirt. "Did you see?"

"We saw, hime. Well done," Shikaku praised her with a gentle smile. "Minato is really pleased. He thanks you for your assistance."

"Konoha is mine to care for," she proclaimed solemnly. She straightened, and her chin rested on Shikamaru's shoulder.

He watched her from the corner of his eyes and noticed the way she eyed him back.

"So they're all gone? They can't hurt you anymore?" she asked.

"I wasn't hurt," he replied dismissively.

"You were exhausted! And you had bite marks!"

The burst of shame he felt was unusual. Shikamaru always owned up to his laziness and cowardice, but for some reason, he didn't want to admit to the civilian girl who had just exhausted herself to fix the village that he had been bitten by an allied ninken to motivate him into fighting the enemy. That was just… embarrassing. He met his father's eye, the only other who might know where those marks really came from (his mother would have scolded him severely if she knew). Shikaku's passive expression told him that he did know and had no intention of saving him from his own foolishness.

"It was nothing," Shikamaru insisted.

"Uhuh," Kojika replied sceptically. "Well, Asuma-san said you were really brave and smart! I'm proud of you!" She squeezed him gently and continued, a little more energetic: "And Ino-chan said you were great too at the exam before, even if you forfeited. She was really pissed about that, for some reason. Who cares though? If you showed you were smarter, then you won, right?" Grinning, she bounced on tiptoes and released him to be able to see him.

"That's not how most people see it," Shikamaru said, pretending to be blasé although he was pleased that Kojika shared his point of view and wasn't upset by his forfeit — unlike his mother.

"Humans are really competitive," Kojika noted, tapping a finger against her jaw. "I'm a little disappointed I didn't watch your match. It sounded interesting from what Ino said, but there were so many people…" She fidgeted. Her solitary upbringing had led to moderate agoraphobia which made her uneasy in crowds. That and her disinterest for violence had kept her away from the Chuunin Exams' tournament.

"You'd have gotten bored," Shikamaru replied with a shrug.

"I don't get bored easily. I like people watching. There is cloud watching too when I get tired of people, but mostly humans are so weird that I don't have time to get bored."

"Well, why don't you two go watch some clouds?" Yoshino suggested from her position at the stove.

"Don't you need help?" Kojika asked, eager to please.

"No, no, it's just heating. Go on."

Shikamaru had left as soon as he was given the green light. Kojika followed. He let her rest her head on his stomach while he leaned against a tree. He figured she deserved some comfort while she rested. Thanks to her, he had probably avoided a lot of manual chores involved in reconstruction after all.

oOo

After his first mission as a team leader, Shikamaru wasn't expecting to see Kojika with his father at the hospital. She had stayed quiet while Shikaku lectured him. She had watched him cry in relief when he learned that all his teammates would make it. Only once he was alone, waiting to be able to see his teammates, did she sit by his side and speak up:

"You'll make a good leader."

He glanced at her sitting elegantly in her civilian clothes. He shook his head. He didn't expect her to understand. He might have succeeded in his mission: Sasuke had been rescued from the remaining Oto shinobi who had put him under genjutsu and kidnapped him, but at what price?

She sighed and rested her head against the wall. "You know, the stories, the legend… Everyone here thinks Konoha-hime is the best kami ever… Well, that wasn't always true." She swung a foot up and down, staring at her heels (a recent gift from Yoshino) intently.

Shikamaru tilted his head to show she had his attention.

"I was connected to this land even before humanity took control of it. When humans settled here, I asked about them to nearby kami and youkai. They advised me to stay away from them, to not interact with them for they would only bring me misery. So I did just that. Despite all the blood and the deaths, I ignored them." She stopped talking, looking into space at distant memories.

"What changed?" Shikamaru asked when the silence lasted too long.

"The Nara… the Nara took control of the land over another clan they had defeated. Some of them were… different. They took an interest in nature, they respected it. They helped injured animals and soon started to raise deers. They learned about medicinal herbs. Their approach to life was different. I was intrigued, but still, I stayed away. I was scared of changing the status quo."

"Until the night where the clan was attacked?"

"Yes. I knew their enemies were coming. I knew they were many. But I didn't intervene… Not until the children's screams…" She bit her bottom lip and tears gathered in her eyes. "Their cries for help… It was too much." Her hands were clenched in the pockets of her coat. She had a lump in her throat. She needed a few minutes before continuing: "I was a lousy kami. I made a mistake and innocent people died that night. I swore to myself that I wouldn't let it happen again." She looked up and met his eyes. "And I kept my promise. Each time I felt danger, I met it head-on, whatever the cost."

Even at the cost of her life.

Shikamaru knew about the circumstances of her reincarnation a few weeks after his birth. There had been a lot of speculations about the threat she had eliminated, whispers of the mad Uchiha Madara's revenge or even the Moon Goddess. No-one would probably know for sure, but they all agreed that it had been a great danger to Konoha.

She raised her chin. "We learn from our mistakes. Sometimes, this world is brutal and the price of insight is dear, but don't let it beat you down. You'll make a good leader; you just have a lot to learn. In a perfect world, you wouldn't have needed to lead such a difficult mission so soon, but in a harsher world it wouldn't have been you and your teammates wouldn't have had such a smart leader to show them the way. Keep faith in yourself Shikamaru. You're the kind of people who showed me humanity was worth it."

Shikamaru pressed his hands together nervously. "Because I'm smart?"

"Because you care."

He grunted. "Don't tell anyone."

"I don't need to." She leaned closer and kissed his cheek. "Everyone knows."

"Shut up," he grumbled. "... You should go. Don't waste your only day off on me."

She sat on her hands and swung her legs. "Don't be silly." She stuck her tongue out at him. "I'm not here for you. I have to bless your friends for them to make a quick recovery!"

The chuckle he let out was mixed with a sob. And if his forehead pressed against her shoulder, it was just because he needed a nap.

* * *

Thank_ you for your interest everyone! I'm having fun with Shikamaru's PoV. He and his father are fun to write. :) The next chapter will be the last, I think._


	4. Chapter 4

oOo Six years later oOo

Shikamaru was sitting in the living room of his house when the entrance door opened, followed by a loud and cheerful: "I'm home!"

"Welcome back," his mother shouted from the upper floor.

He waited.

Predictably, Kojika started talking before she reached the living room's door: "You'll never believe who came to the temp—" She froze in the doorway when she noticed Shikamaru's guest. "Oh. Sorry. Hi Temari-san," she mumbled, abashed, and immediately disappeared toward the stairs to tell her story to Yoshino more quietly. The red and white fabric of her miko attire disappeared along with her.

Now that was out of the way, Shikamaru looked back at Temari and shifted on his pillow to lean forward with an elbow on the low table. "So, this is over."

"I think it's for the best. We won't see each other for a long time," the kunoichi replied calmly. Their break-up couldn't be more proper.

Shikamaru hummed in understanding and nodded. "All right then. I wish you the best, Jounin Commander."

Temari's lips tilted upward at the gentle teasing. "Likewise."

He saw her out and rubbed the back of his neck as he considered the situation. His first relationship was over without dramatics. All in all, it could be worse. He liked Temari, and he was sad to see her go, but they had been quite realistic about their chances. Relationships between shinobi of different villages rarely worked out in the long term. Theirs had last a year, and they had managed to see each other only half a dozen times.

Patter came down the stairs. Shikamaru turned around to catch Kojika checking if he was alone. He knew she wasn't at ease around Temari. The two girls were civil with each other, but they never had much in common.

"Is she leaving for Suna?" the young miko asked.

"Yeah. She got promoted to Jounin Commander. She won't leave Suna again for a while, so she just wanted to warn me so we could break it up." At Kojika's wide eyes, he sighed and waved dismissively. "Don't look at me like that. It's fine."

She hesitated, observed him from head to toes and decided to take his word for it with a nod. "So, you'll never believe who I met at the temple!" she said cheerfully. "The Hokage brought the Kazekage!"

"Yeah? He wanted your blessing?"

"How did you—? Oh. Temari." She pouted at having her story spoiled.

"So? What did you do?"

"I gave him a seed."

Shikamaru snorted. "A seed? Of what? Cactus?"

Kojika gave him an unimpressed look, deepened her pout and walked away toward the patio. Shikamaru followed, chuckling at her sulk. They sat side by side to look out in the forest. Shikamaru nudged her shoulder with his.

"So? What kind of seed?"

Satisfied by his interest, Kojika let go of her sulk to reply: "I created it."

"You… created a species for the Kazekage?"

She nodded, lifting her chin in pride at the feat. "It's one of a kind… except for its twin. I gave one to the Hokage too."

"And how are they special?"

She raised a finger. "They don't need water. You can make it grow and thrive by infusing chakra in it." She raised another. "And they are linked together. If one of the trees loses leaves it means that the other village is in danger." She raised a third. "Also, their fruits are chakra restorative. It makes fruits all year long, but only one or two at a time."

Shikamaru's teasing mood disappeared in favor of awe. "You… Are you serious?"

She blinked guilelessly. "Of course." She was a terrible liar and always honest.

"What did the Hokage say?"

She shrugged. "He thanked me, along with the Kazekage."

"Nothing else?" That would be surprising, Kojika might not understand the importance of her gift, but the Yondaime would know that this was the most incredible diplomatic gesture that could be done. A way to know if your ally needed you which necessitated little care and offered great medicine? This was priceless! The Suna-Konoha alliance would be strengthened durably.

Furthermore, the Kazekage would think this was a gift from the kami, like everyone else, but the Hokage knew that the miko was not a simple link to the deity.

"Well, he sent me a message after," she admitted, pulling a piece of paper out of her hakama. "It says if I or the temples need anything, I should let him know. So I think he must be happy, right?" She glanced at him for confirmation before shrugging. "But the temples are fine. The genin team always take good care of them during their missions, and the faithful's donations are generous enough."

A D-level monthly mission had been created to care for Konoha-hime's temples. And, predictably, they had gained in visitors since the miraculous reconstruction after the invasion by Oto and Suna.

"And you don't need anything?"

"No, I have everything I need," she replied happily. She nudged his shoulder, and he let himself be warmed by her cheerfulness. They had known each other for years now, and she still managed to surprise him and yet stayed constant. It was soothing.

oOo

"Hey, Shika."

Shikamaru grunted to let Kiba know he was listening without having to open his eyes. They were in the middle of a picnic, but he had already eaten his fill and would rather take a nap.

"Your friend, the miko, is she single?"

To his great distaste, this wasn't the first time a conversation had started like this. The first time, Kojika had barely been thirteen. Shikamaru had to trip the eighteen years old chuunin who had the audacity to ask. It had been a drag. His parents' questioning even more so, but they hadn't said a word after he had explained. The guy had never gotten close to Kojika, who had stayed unaware, so he figured that it was worth it.

Shikamaru opened an eye and sent a warning glare at the Inuzuka. "Don't go there."

Kiba tried to play it cool — he failed. "What? I'm only asking."

"Don't bother, Kiba," Tenten spoke up as she passed by with a bottle of fruit juice. "If she said no to Neji, it would definitely be no to you."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?!" Kiba asked.

Tenten smirked, but, before she could reply, they were startled by Shikamaru sitting up with a low but loud: "What?"

He squinted and localized Neji at the other end of the gathering. The jounin must have felt his glare because he met his eyes and raised a questioning eyebrow. Shikamaru delayed the confrontation by glancing at Ino, who didn't seem surprised by the juicy information dropped on her lap. She knew. Of course, she knew, she was Kojika's best female friend. If Kojika talked to anyone about boys, it would be to her.

"You didn't know?" Tenten asked, surprised.

Shikamaru glared at Ino when his teammate sent him a cheeky grin, too happy to have the upper hand.

"Neji asked her two months ago," Tenten continued. "She said that she wasn't interested in dating, but if she ever was she would let him know. See, Kiba? She likes him, you don't have a chance."

Kiba spluttered and shook his head. "That's an excuse. She only said that to let him down nicely!"

Tenten snorted. "Did you even talk to her? That's not her style. She just has other priorities, which is fair enough, she's the head miko after all. It's impressive at her age." The chuunin left to join her team, settling by Neji's side and obviously telling him right away what they were talking about.

Shikamaru ignored them. He didn't really care if Neji had asked Kojika out. What bothered him, he realized, was that she had not told him. He thought she told him everything. She always spoke about her days (which was a bit tiring at times, when he just wanted quiet after a long day, but then her voice, nice and familiar, also managed to lull him away from dark thoughts, so he had never asked her to stop and just perfected the art of tuning it out). When he was away on missions, she gave him the outlines of what he had missed. He had figured that being asked out would be among those reports.

"You're an idiot," Ino commented with an exasperated shake of her head.

Kiba had left to regain his composure, going to help Chouji with the grill.

"What about, now?" Shikamaru grumbled, lying back down.

"Kojika."

No, he wasn't an idiot. Never was. Never will be.

He was just lazy and too fond of the status quo.

When he failed to reply, Ino squinted She leaned over him and hissed. "You know."

"Of course I do," he sighed. "No need to be a mind-reader when she wears her heart on her sleeve. It will pass."

"It has been years, Shika," she hissed. "This isn't a little crush anymore."

Shikamaru sighed and rested an arm over his eyes. Since he had figured Kojika's feelings out, he had bravely buried his head in the sand and ignored it. She clearly didn't plan to act on it, so why should he?

"If you're not interested, just tell her honestly so she can move on. It might be awkward for a few weeks, but she'll recover. She likes you too much to lose your friendship, which is the exact reason why she's not doing anything about it." When he failed to reply, Ino squinted at him and lifted his forearm away from his face. He looked tense. Not 'I don't want to do it' tense but 'I don't want you to know something' tense. As understanding hit her, her eyes widened. "Shit, Shika, are you kidding me?"

"Shut up," Shikamaru grumbled, crossing his arms behind his head.

"You like her," she hissed in a whisper. "That's why you don't do anything, you're a scaredy-cat!"

"She's not the only one who doesn't want to mess up our friendship, okay?" he replied defensively.

"Oh, don't be silly. If you're both interested then it's perfect! Even if I don't doubt your ability to mess up, I don't think you can do something bad enough that she'll never want to see you ever again. Your parents, Chouji, and I will help!" she offered, apparently thinking this would convince him instead of tempting him to flee. At his wince, she changed tack and screamed: "CHOUJI!"

Shikamaru groaned in distaste and tried to sit up to escape. She grabbed him and held him down until their friend reached them. It was too late. This was an intervention.

Twenty minutes later, he was pushed and pulled toward Konoha-hime's temple, the one Kojika prefered near the edge of the Nara forest. He found her sitting under the trees, surrounded by animals while she made some talisman. At his arrival, she smiled brightly but didn't move — her shoulders were covered with birds and her lap full of rodents.

"Shikamaru! What brings you here?"

He rubbed the back of his neck and sighed, knowing that his teammates were watching him from afar. He had been convinced that this path of less resistance was his best option, but asking a girl out still wasn't his favorite idea — Temari had been the one to breach the subject actually, tired of waiting for him.

"Is something wrong?" Kojika asked, losing her cheer in favor of worry when he didn't speak.

Anything he could say sounded stupid or ambiguous.

He stepped forward, crouched to be at her level, leaned forward on one knee with a hand resting on her thigh next to a squirrel. He brushed their lips in a butterfly kiss. That should be clear enough.

"Go out with me?" he asked to clarify nonetheless.

Wide-eyed and stock still, Kojika dropped the talisman and then nodded slowly. He had left her speechless. That didn't happen every day.

He smirked smugly. This wasn't so terrible after all.

oOo

Going out with Kojika was… easy. They did everything they already did before: going for a walk, to the restaurant, to the movies… picnicking in the forest and taking long naps together. It was all those nice, familiar habits but with more hand-holding and cuddles… and kissing. Kojika liked kisses, especially the spontaneous and butterfly ones. He had to get used to those liberal displays of affection to which he wasn't accustomed to — Temari had been much more reserved. Since his girlfriend wasn't obtrusive, he figured he could deal with a surprise kiss from time to time when he was dozing. At least Kojika never woke him up by shouting like his mother… a kiss was a good wake-up call, all things considered.

His parents had been clued in by a kiss. Kojika hadn't been aware they were watching, she wouldn't have done it otherwise, but Shikamaru couldn't complain. It had spared him the trouble of telling them. What's more, Kojika's presence had protected him from comments (she had always been the favorite, which was fair enough: between the 'reincarnation of our ancestral kami' thing and the fact that she was the perfect daughter his mother dreamed of, well… there was no competition) until they had calmed down enough that he only got a "don't mess it up".

All in all, this was going well.

He relaxed and decided to go with the flow which meant doing as Kojika wanted. This was her first relationship, and she was curious.

"Shika," she murmured one evening while his parents had gone out to eat with friends.

They were curled up together, lying under the kotetsu after a nice meal she had cooked. He hummed questioningly, trying to decide between reading a book or watching TV.

"Would you show me sex?"

She was _really_ curious and so candid.

Shikamaru appreciated it, but it still surprised him every time.

Shifting to look at her, he raised a hand and brushed her jaw. "Sure," he agreed, "but not today."

"No?"

"We're both tired. Later would be better."

"When?"

She wasn't doing it to be annoying. Shikamaru was familiar enough with her to know it and deal with it appropriately. The arm he had around her waist lowered and pulled her close. He nuzzled down her temple to the soft skin under her ear, where he kissed, licked and teased her neck.

"When that won't be enough to reduce you to a puddle of goo," he teased her gently when he pulled back.

She blinked, dazed. "I don't think that's ever gonna happen."

He laughed, squeezed her hip and kissed her cheek. "All right, then… when you'll feel more hot than warm."

She frowned and tilted her head. "I'm not sure I understand… but I trust you," she declared and rested her head on his shoulder. "Can we watch an animal documentary?"

"Sure… but I'm not getting up to get the remote."

Not afflicted with the legendary Nara laziness, Kojika would have usually stood up without complaints, but she pouted and burrowed a little deeper in his embrace. A minute later, a squirrel came by the window and went to get the remote, pulling it until it was in Kojika's reach.

"Really?" Shikamaru drawled with a raised eyebrow.

"You have no ground to criticize."

"I'm pretty sure that's slavery."

Kojika threw him an outraged look while getting something out of a pocket. It was a nut, which she gave to the squirrel before he ran away.

"Ok, that's bribery."

"It's payment for service rendered!"

"Looks like it doesn't have much of a choice to me, it's more of a forced—"

Exasperated, Kojika forgot her interest for documentaries in favor of pinching him and straddling him. "It's not! I'm not a slaver!" she exclaimed, affronted.

He chuckled and caught her hands before she could tickle him. "So you say, little kami, mistress of the forest and commander of its residents."

She squirmed to get out of his hold, but she only had basic self-defense knowledge while he had reached jounin rank at fifteen. She didn't get far, and when she finally had the idea to use her feet, Shikamaru waved two fingers to summon shadows and bound her still.

"That's cheating!"

"All is fair in love and war," he drawled with a self-satisfied smirk.

She squinted and then leaned forward to kiss him. He never had the advantage for long with her, mostly because she could easily convince him he didn't want to.

He let her go, allowing her to lay over him, chest to chest with her elbows on each side of his face. He slid his hands to her hips and then down over the curve of her ass to her thighs. He held her close as they kissed and made out with the lazy, attentive style which was theirs (far from the intense, thorough moments he had with Temari, but just as good).

"Shika," she breathed when one of his hands found his way under her shirt and the other under her pants. "I think I understand what you meant by feeling hot."

"You have a knack to make me rethink my plans," he sighed. He supposed he wasn't so tired after all…

oOo

At eighteen, Shikamaru had found his way into the Yondaime's Guard Platoon, somehow (he wasn't sure how, himself, because it had certainly not been of his own volition). It kept him more often in Konoha, which was the main advantage.

Guard duty involved a lot of waiting and inactivity. It had never been an issue for him, he could keep his own mind busy, but sometimes his mind wandered a little too much and he was a bit slow on the uptake.

Which is why he was one of the last to notice when Kojika stepped in the Hokage tower (to his knowledge, it was a first, Kojika was a creature of habits who rarely ventured out of her habitat, at least not alone).

A hush fell in the hall.

Kojika had gathered a reputation. While her origins were still a secret only known to a minority, there were lots of rumors about her. The temples had never been credited with as many miracles as they did since she was miko. And while Konoha-hime's reincarnation was a secret, what had happened in the Nara forest eighteen years ago was not. The eldest shinobi knew something had happened to make Konoha-hime more active since. The most observant had noticed the respect given to the miko by the Yondaime and the Nara. People assumed and talked. Shinobi kept secrets but knew to take their cues from their superiors.

Kojika was someone to respect.

She could only be seen in the temples, though.

Why was she here?

Shikamaru's first guess would have been that she was looking for him if she wasn't wearing her full miko garb and a solemn expression.

There was only one other reason possible, and that reason was currently walking down the stairs from the Hokage's office.

As everyone's thoughts followed Shikamaru's, people parted before the miko and pressed themselves against the walls, giving her a clear path to the guests of the Yondaime.

The delegation from Amagakure had reached Konoha in the morning and been greeted by the Hokage and his sensei, Jiraiya. They had been talking since, and they were apparently coming down for lunch, all of them, together.

They froze as they noticed the complete silence and stillness in the hallway, but only the Yondaime showed a hint of understanding.

Unbothered by the tension, Kojika stepped forward and faced up to the leader of Ame, Pain.

"I'm Nara Kojika, miko of Konoha-hime, kami protector of this land and its people. The kami wishes to see you."

Pain blinked and slowly turned toward the Hokage, who bowed deeply.

"We'll be there shortly, Nara-san."

Kojika nodded firmly, turned around and left, perfectly playing her role as simple miko. She left behind her an invisible agitation as ANBU redeployed to cover the schedule change. Shikamaru himself discreetly left for the temple where he would secure the place before the Hokage's arrival. Thanks to Shunshin no Jutsu, he arrived before Kojika, which allowed him to corner her when she did.

"What's going on?" he asked softly. Konoha-hime asking for a foreigner was totally unheard of.

She was tense, and she watched him with the solemnity of her role, not the tenderness of their relationship. "He's dangerous."

"For Konoha?"

"Possibly."

Shikamaru nodded and left to pass the word around. They had assumed, of course, but her confirmation was entirely different. In a matter of minutes, the number of ANBU around the temple quadrupled. If Konoha-hime was worried, they all had reasons to be.

Kojika didn't meet Pain in the temple but in the middle of the Nara forest, the core of her power. It was airily silent in a way that Shikamaru had never witnessed. It implied that every living animal had been pushed to leave the area, which was one more reason to worry.

The Yondaime, Jiraiya, and a woman with lavender hair had come with Pain. Around them, a dozen of ANBU were in close range in the trees, including Shikamaru. A bit further, dozens more were standing by.

After a few seconds of silence and a glance around the clearing, Pain spoke, expressionless: "You said a kami wishes to see me. Should I be able to see them?"

Kojika hummed. Her chakra expended, like it often did when she used her abilities, but it didn't stop to a peaceful aura. She started to glow. Her chakra was becoming visible to all. Even more incredible, her chakra was golden. This unleashed power made her long hair flew around and her green eyes brightened.

When she spoke, her voice had gained a form of echo: "I'm Konoha-hime, protector of this town and their people."

Minato and Jiraiya bowed deeply.

Pain waited a moment before doing the same, his female companion following his example. "I'm Pain, leader of Amegakure. This is Konan, my assistant."

"Pain. You came to Konoha speaking of peace, but your heart is full of dark intents. I shall hear your explanation."

The demand was met with silence. ANBU tensed, expecting the situation would get ugly. Jiraiya opened his mouth to speak, but he froze and looked down. The Yondaime had reached for his hand to stop him. He was the one who spoke up:

"Pain-sama. Konoha-hime is the most benevolent and peaceful kami you could ever meet. She'd be a great ally to have in your goal of world peace. Please, speak to her."

Pain had turned his head to listen, but he hadn't looked away from Konoha-hime. After a moment, he said: "I'll speak with you alone, hime."

Shikamaru tensed, clenching his hands tightly. As he expected, his girlfriend accepted without hesitation.

While Minato, Jiraiya, and Konan left, the ANBU tried to stay. They weren't allowed to. Konoha-hime waved an imperious hand, her aura brushing them all in a reassuring but firm command to leave.

Shikamaru gritted his teeth and tried to resist. A hand on his shoulder made him look up. His father was crouched on the branch beside him. Shikaku patted his shoulder in understanding but gestured with his chin to the side. They left to go wait with the others, tense and silent. Time passed and Shikamaru tapped his fingers on his kneed, agitated. There was no sign of a fight or even arguing, but when a full hour had passed, Shikamaru was getting more impatient than he had ever been before.

A wave of relief went through the crowd when Pain and Kojika appeared. She had lost her godly glow, and they both look at peace.

Kojika stopped in front of the Yondaime, pressing her palms together in front of her. "Hokage-sama, Pain-sama has grievances and suggestions to make. I trust you'll hear him out with all the open-mindedness and fairness required."

"Of course, hime." The Yondaime bowed deeply and then gestured for Pain to go back toward town.

Before he left, Pain bowed — deeper than he had at the beginning. "Thank you."

"May you and your people find peace, Pain-sama," Kojika wished solemnly but with a kind smile.

She watched the group of dignitaries leave thoughtfully. Most ANBU left with them. Only Shikamaru and Shikaku stayed behind, staring at Kojika questioningly. She smiled, reassuring.

"He's a troubled soul, but I convinced him we were on the same side. I'm sure he and Hokage-sama will be able to talk things through. His heart feels much lighter already."

Shikamaru stepped forward, put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her against his chest so he could kiss her hair. "Don't scare me like that, troublesome kami."

She giggled and patted his chest. "You were worried?"

"That man can and has beaten Jiraiya-sama in a fight. Hell, yeah, I was worried."

"You'd better get used to it," Shikaku commented with a smirk. "You didn't choose the simplest woman."

Shikamaru sighed, while letting his girlfriend snuggle up to him. "Don't I know it."

"You love me!" Kojika protested.

"Unfortunately."

That got him a hit to the stomach, but his little kami forgave him after a kiss.

What a troublesome little kami.

oOo

"_Kami don't die and pass on as humans do. Konoha-hime is still among us, in the blood of all female descendants of Nara Shikamaru and Kojika. Generation after generation, they take care of Konoha._

_That's why you never forget to stop by the temple, bow deeply and request an ofuda, kid. So the goddess always watches over you."_

**The END**

* * *

_I hope this little story entertained you! Let me know what you liked about it. :)_


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